Guide control mechanism



W. C. NASH GUIDE CONTROL MECHANISM Aug. 15, 1939 Filed Jan. 24, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 15, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 24, 1936 Aug.. 15, 1939 w. c.. NASH- I GUIDE CONTROL MECHANISM Filed Jan. 24, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Aug. 15, 1939 ENT OFFICE GUIDE CONTROL MECHANISM William C. Nash, Neenah, Wis., assignor to Gilbert & Nash Company, Neenah, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application January 24,

2 Claims.

in Fig. 1.

15. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, elevational view illustrating the spring for actuating the shifting levers when the edge of the web moves laterally away from the palm or feeler.

Referring in detail to the drawings, I and 2 indicate: vertically positioned posts or pillars which are disposed on opposite sides of a paper making machine. A paper forming wire or screen 3 passes between said pillars. A block or sleeve 5 may be slidably positioned upon the pillar I and in like manner a block or sleeve 5 may be slidably positioned upon the pillar 2. An extension 6 is connected to or formed integral with the sleeve 9 and supports at its outer end a substantially square frame I, the extension 6 being connected to said frame by means of bolts 8 or the like. In like manner the sleeve 5 carries an extension 9 which, in turn, supports frame I9. A screw II is connected at each of its ends to opposite sides of the frame I, said screw being longitudinally immovable and also non-rotatable. A double faced ratchet wheel I2 may be rotatably mounted upon screw II, the bore of the ratchet wheel being provided with threads which are engageable with the threads upon screw II. In View of the fact that the screw II is immovable with respect to the frame I, rotation of the ratchet wheel I2 will result in movement of the wheel I2 axially along the length of screw I I.

A collar I3 may be positioned upon screw I I on each side of the ratchet wheel I2, said collar being freely positioned upon the screw. A standard It may support each collar I 3, said standards being secured to or being formed integral with block I5 which may be slidably mounted upon the lower side It of the frame I. Plates or clamps a d I3 may be secured as by means of bolts 1936, Serial No. 60,590

I9 to the block I5, said plates embracing the edges of the side I5 of the frame I. A journal box 20 may be positioned adjacent the lower face of the side is and may be secured, as by means of bolts 2i to plates I1 and I8. The journal box 29 car- 5 rles a bearing 22 in which one end of the shaft of roll 23 is journalled. It can readily be seen that the block I5 and journal 22 can be moved as a unit with respect to the frame I, and that movement of the ratchet wheel I2 will impart 10 movement to the block I5 and hence, the hearing 22.

Roll 23, as: will be hereinafter more fully described, is in contact with the wire or screen 3 and serves to guide said screen and maintain the same in a taut condition. In view of the fact that the screen 3, during operation of the pap-er making machine, is in translatory motion and since roll 23 is in contact with said screen, said roll will be rotated by motion of the screen. A gear box 24 may be mounted adjacent bearing 22 and is adapted to cover a pinion which is mounted upon the end of the roll shaft and a meshing gear which may be mounted upon the shaft 25. Therefore, motion of the roll 23 imparts motion of rotation to the shaft 25 at a reduced speed. An eccentric pin 26 may be mounted upon the end of the shaft 25 and may serve as a pivot pin for connecting rod 21 which may be connected to said pin at one of its ends. The opposite end of rod 21 is pivotally connected by means of pin 28 to arm 29 which, in turn, is rigidly connected to shaft 30. A bracket or standard 3I may be mounted upon plate I1 and the upper end of said bracket supports sleeve or bearing 32 in which the shaft or pin- 39 is journalled. The opposite end of the shaft or pin 30 is rigidly connected to arm 33 which, in turn, is pivotally connected by means of pin 34 to the upper end of the U-shaped member 35.

It can. readily be seen that when roll 23 is driven by its contact with screen 3, shaft 25 will be rotated and reciprocating motion will be imparted to shaft 28. This reciprocation rocks arms 29 and 33 and, hence, a substantially vertical reciprocating motion is imparted to the U- shaped member 35. One arm 36 of the U-shaped member carries a pawl 37 which is disposed adjacent one face of the ratchet I2. The opposite arm 38 also carries a pawl 39 which is disposed adjacent the opposite face of the ratchet wheel 52. The ratchet teeth upon the opposite faces of the ratchet wheel I2 are so constructed and the pawls 3i and 39 are so positioned with respect to said ratchet teeth that engagement of pawl 31 with the ratchet teeth upon the adjacent side of the wheel l2 will cause said wheel to be moved upwardly as viewed in Fig. 1. Engagement of the pawl 39 with the ratchet teeth upon the adjacent side of the wheel 12 will cause movement of the wheel I2 in a downwardly direction as viewed in Fig. 1. As will be hereinafter more fully described, the normal position of the U-shaped member 35 is such that neither of the pawls 31 and 39 are in engagement with the ratchet teeth upon the respective sides of the wheel [2.

A support 46 is rigidly mounted upon or formed integral with frame I, said support carrying a bar 41. A bar 42 may be adjustably connected to bar 4!, said adjustable connection comprising a pin which passes through slots provided in each bar 4! and 42, which pin is threaded at its end and engaged with the hand wheel 43, the arrangement being such that bar 42 may be adjustably positioned along a portion of the length of bar 4| and conversely bar 4| may be adjustably positioned along the length of bar 42 merely by manipulating hand wheel 43. Bar 42 carries a sleeve or bearing 43 at its lower end in which a pin (not shown) is journalled. One end of said pin is rigidly connected to arm 44, the opposite end of which is pivotally connected to a palm 45. A spring 46 is associated with both the palm and arm 44 in such a manner as to tend to rock palm 45 inwardly as viewed in Fig. 1.

Link 47 is rigidly connected to the pin which is journalled in the sleeve 43 and connects at its opposite end with link 48. Link 48 at its opposite end is pivotally connected to arm 43 which,

in turn, is rigidly mounted upon shaft 59. Shaft 50 is journalled within bearings 5| which are carried upon downwardly extending arms secured to bar 4!. An arm 52 is rigidly connected to shaft 56, the opposite end of said arm being pivotally "connected to link 53 which, in turn, is pivotally connected to arm 38 of the U-shaped member 35. The arrangement is such that lateral motion of the wire or screen 3 moves palm 45 in a similar manner, This movement rocks arm 44 which by means of the various arm and link connections moves the member 35 either to the right or to the left as viewed in Fig. 1, depending upon the lateral shift of the wire or screen 3. It can readily be seen that when the link 53 moves the member 35, it will bring either pawl 31 or pawl 39 into contact with one of the faces of the ratchet wheel and inasmuch as the member 35 is reciprocating in a substantially vertical direction, said ratchet wheel will be rotated either upwardly or downwardly as viewed in Fig. 1. This movement will result in movement of the wheel along the length of the screw ii and, consequently, block 15, journal box 25 and bearing 22 will be moved either to the right or left as the case may be.

A collar 56 is rigidly secured to shaft 50 and one end of a coil spring 5| circumscribes said shaft, the opposite end of said spring bearing against bearing 5|. During the operation of the machine, palm 45 is normally disposed adjacent the edge of the wire or screen 3, spring 5| being normally under a slight tension, If the wire shifts laterally toward the palm, the various levers and arms hereinbefore described are moved whereby the U-shaped member is appropriately moved.

Simultaneously, spring 5| is wound up upon shaft 50. If the movement of the wire is excessively rapid whereby the shifting mechanism cannot keep up therewith, spring 46 upon palm 45 is flexed preventing injury to the wire by the palm or vice versa. If the wire moves laterally away from the palm spring 51" causes a reverse shift of the levers and arms and moves the U- shaped member to restore the wire to its normal path.

At the opposite side of the machine the shaft 54 of roll 23 is journalled in bearing 55. Bearing 55 is, in turn, carried by collar 56 which is pivotally connected at 51 and 58 to the frame 59 which latter is rigidly connected to frame it. Consequently, when the bearing 22 is moved to the right or left as viewed in Fig, 1, bearing 55 will rotate in a vertical plane and the axis of roll 23 will be moved to a different transverse angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of travel of the wire or screen 3. By this arrangement if for some reason screen 3 shifts laterally, the mechanism hereinbefore described will act to change the relations of roll 23 to screen or wire 3 so that said screen or wire will be shifted in the opposite direction. By this arrangement an equilibrium is brought about whereby the wire or screen 3 is maintained traveling in a substantially true direction.

For roll 23 to have its highest efficiency and sensitivity in altering the direction of travel of Wire or screen 3, it is desirable that a predetermined constant pressure between said roll and the wire or screen be maintained. In addition, it is desirable that the tension of the screen or wire 3 be maintained at a predetermined value for most efficient operation of the paper making machine itself. Therefore, a salient feature of my invention resides in a device which automatically satisfies both conditions, that is, it automatically maintains the wire or screen at a predetermined degree of tension and accomplishes this at a point of travel of the wire or screen where the constant alignment of the screen is maintained and controlled.

Sleeve 4 carries an extension 66 which projects in an opposite direction to the extension 6. Similarly sleeve 5 carries a projection 6| which extends oppositely to the projection 9. A recess 62 is provided in the projection and a similar recess 63 is provided in the nroiection 5|.

Cylindrical supports 64 and 65 are mounted at each side of the machine adjacent pillars I and 2 respectively. Each support 64 and 65 carries a capstan 66 at its upper end which are rotatably mounted with respect to the supports. A screw 61 threadedly engages with the capstan 66 and is adapted to extend into the interior of the support 64. A similar screw, not shown, is associated with the support 65 at the opposite side of the machine. A bearing 68 is carried at the upper end of screw 61 and similarly a bearing 69 is carried at the upper end of the screw at the opposite side of the machine.

A shaft 10 is journalled at each of its ends in bearings 68 and 69. An arm TI is rigidly connected to shaft 16 adjacent bearing 68, said arm being provided with a curved head 12 which is adapted to be positioned in the recess 62 in the projection 60. An arm 13 similar to arm II is also provided with a head 14 similar to the head 12 and it is adapted to extend into the recess 63 provided in projection 6|. A pair of transversely spaced apart lever arms 15 are rigidly connected to shaft 10, adjacent the respective arms H and 13, and connected to the free end of each of said arms 15 is a cable '16 which passes over a sheave wheel I1, the opposite end of the cables 16 carrying a predetermined number of weights 18.

The arrangement is such that the entire mechanism supporting roll 23, by virtue of the slidable connection of the sleeves 4 and 5 with the pillars l and 2, respectively, would tend to be supported upon screen or wire 3. In view of the fact that this weight rests upon the inner surface of the loop comprising the forming wire, this weight would be constant and would not be sufiiciently flexible to meet all of the.conditions found in practice. Under some circumstances it may be desired to increase the tension of the screen in which case the weight of the roll 23 and its ac= companying mechanism would not be sufficient. By the provision of the adjustable weights "iii and the mechanism associated therewith, the weight of the roll 23 and its accompanying mechanism may be agumented to substantially any desired degree and said weight may be maintained constant at substantially any selected value. It can readily be seen that the lever arrangement of arms 15, 7| and 13 is such that weights 78 augment the weight of the roll 23 and its accompanying mechanism, since arms 'H and i3 bear downwardly upon the lower defining wall of each of the recesses 62 and 63 and tend to slide the sleeves 4 and 5 downwardly along pillars i and 2. By the provision of the capstan E6 the height of the arms H may be accommodated to the height of the sleeves 4 and 5.

Although I have shown and described my invention in connection with a paper making wire or screen,'it is apparent that it is equally applicable for use with the travelling felts or blankets of a paper making machine; In certain of the claims the term belt has been used in a generic sense, to cover the use of a reticulated wire screen, or a felt web. It is also manifest that my invention is capable of modification and rearrangement without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. I do not, therefore, intend to limit my invention to the specific form and application herein shown and described, except as indicated in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a paper making machine, an endless travelling flexible carrier, a pair of upright supports adjacent opposite edges of the return-run of said flexible carrier, carriages slidably mounted on said supports, a guide roll resting transversely upon the upper surface of the return-run of said flexible carrier, and having its ends supported by said carriages, whereby said roll is urged against the flexible carrier by its own weight and the weight of said carriages, means associated with said guide roll for maintaining the flexible carrier in longitudinal alignment, said means I being responsive to transverse shifting of the flexible carrier for automatically shifting one end of said guide roll in a substantially horizontal plane to change its transverse position relative to the flexible carrier, and yielding means for urging the carriages downwardly in a vertical plane on said supports for maintaining the flexible carrier at substantially constant tension.

2. In a paper making machine of the type having an endlessly moving paper forming wire which makes an upper forward pass and a lower rearward pass, a guide roll nesting upon the inner surface of said paper forming wire during its lower rearward pass, a pair of carriages from which said roll is suspended, a pair of vertical pillars positioned adjacent said carriages and upon which said carriages are slidably mounted, means for urging said carriages vertically downwardly along said pillars to augment the weight of said roll upon the wire, and means for shifting an end of said guide roll laterally relatively to one of said carriages.

WILLIAM C. NASH. 

